ourgangfandomcom-20200215-history
The Little Rascals
Production Notes Length: 95 minutes Producer: Michael King and Bill Oakes Director: Penelope Spheeris Photography: Richard Bowen Editor: Ross Albert and Peter Tescher Music: William Ross Titles: None Writer: Penelope Spheeris, Robert Wolterstorff, Michael Scott, Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur Released: August 5, 1994 Studio: Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Main Cast * Blake Jeremy Collins as The Woim * Blake McIver Ewing as Waldo * Brittany Ashton Holmes as Darla Hood * Bug Hall as Alfalfa Switzer * Courtland Mead as Uh-Huh Collum * Heather Karasek as Jane * Jordan Warkol as Froggy Laughlin (voice dubbed by E. G. Daily) * Juliette Brewer as Mary Ann * Kevin Jamal Woods as Stymie Beard * Ross Bagley as Buckwheat Thomas * Sam Saletta as Butch * Travis Tedford as Spanky McFarland * Zachary Mabry as Porky Supporting Cast * Alexandra Monroe King as Darla's friend * Andy Reassynder - Uncredited Rascal * Ashley Olsen as Twin #1 * Dan Carton as Alfalfa's father * Daryl Hannah as Miss Crabtree * David Iden - Uncredited Rascal * Donald Trump as Waldo's father * Eric Edwards as Spanky's father * George Wendt as Lumber Yard Manager * Joseph Ashton - Uncredited Rascal * Katie Volding as Uh-Huh's Girlfriend * Kenny Yee - "Sing Joy"/Uncredited Rascal * Kris Krause - Uncredited Rascal * Kyle Lewis - Uncredited Rascal * Lea Thompson as Miss Roberts * Marcello Sanna-Pickett - "Tommy"/Uncredited Rascal * Mary-Kate Olsen as Twin #2 * Mel Brooks as Mr. Welling * Miles Marsico (as Myles Marisco) - Uncredited Rascal * Raven-Symoné as Stymie's girlfriend * Reba McEntire as A.J. Ferguson * Roberto Hernandez - "Bobby"/Uncredited Rascal * Sean Wargo - Uncredited Rascal * Vincent Berry - Uncredited Rascal * Whoopi Goldberg as Buckwheat's mother * Zoe Oakes as Darla's friend The Short Plot: Spanky is the president of a club called the He-Man Women-Haters Club for the boys to unite against the girls. However, Spanky's best friend, Alfalfa, has fallen in love with local girl Darla and the gang is worried their relationship will affect their chances in the annual Soap Box Derby style race with the club's prize-winning go-cart, "The Blur." The club's members team up to sabotage Alfalfa's romantic outing with her and are even more shocked that he takes her into their clubhouse. In the end, the sabotage burns down the clubhouse and Darla departs upset, convinced that Alfalfa is ashamed of her in front of the guys. She now turns her attention to Waldo, the wealthy new kid of rich parents in the neighborhood. Spanky, Stymie and the gang judge Alfalfa's punishment to guarding the unprotected go-kart until the day of the race. Despite this experience, Alfalfa becomes more determined than ever to win Darla's heart back away from Waldo, leaving Porky and Buckwheat behind to watch the go-cart in his absence. He and Spanky try sneaking into Darla's recital, but they run into Butch and Woim and have to disguise themselves as girls in the process and get mixed into Darla's recital. Realizing he still has his frog on him, Spanky puts it inside Alfalfa's tutu trying to hide it, unintentionally ruining the recital in the process. The furious ballet teacher finally discovers them and tries to scold them for their intrusion, discovering Alfalfa hiding behind the curtain in just his underwear after removing the frog. She throws the boys out from backstage, but Butch and Woim are still waiting for them outside the building. Still dressed as a girl, Spanky briefly distracts them for Alfalfa to sneak out, but he loses his wig on a tree branch and has to flee himself. After chasing him, Butch and Woim soon catch up with Alfalfa sprinting through town in his underwear and eventually chase him through a mansion, but they are turned away by the maid at the front door. Alfalfa, however, successfully gets through the mansion and escapes out the back door, where he encounters a Doberman pinscher. He has to jump into the swimming pool and swim to the other side to escape it, but when he climbs out of the pool, he discovers that his underwear has slipped off in the process and is now floating on the surface of the pool. As he retrieves it and struggles to pull them back on, he hears laughter and looks up to see Darla and Waldo watching from a nearby hot tub. Unfortunately, by now, the Doberman has caught up with Alfalfa and chases him completely off the property. At this point, the gang now desperately needs to win the race to rebuild their clubhouse lost by the fire, but Alfalfa still hopes to save face by winning it in a singing contest. Unfortunately, Waldo doses his water with dishwashing liquid, causing him to cough up bubbles during his song, much to the audience's amusement. Embarrassed by his show of affection, Darla decides she never wants anything to do with him. Meanwhile, Porky and Buckwheat have come up with $500 by falsely charging admission to the singing contest at the fair. Spanky loves the idea, but their schoolteacher, Miss Crabtree, finds out about the scheme and warns them about accepting the ill-begotten money. Spanky convinces her to uses the fund as prize money for the go-cart derby. However, by now, the gang has discovered "The Blur" has been stolen, and the whole club turns against Alfalfa for losing it. Alfalfa turns against Spanky for ruining his relationship with Darla, and their fighting splits up the club. Stymie plays peacemaker between them to get the club together, and together again, they all rally as a group to build a new "Blur." They end up creating an entirely new go-cart from junk and stuff they find in the neighborhood, calling their new go-cart "Blur 2: The Sequel." Their feud seemingly over, Spanky and Alfalfa get together once more to drive it, hoping to win the prize money to rebuild their clubhouse and the trophy. Butch and the Woim show up at the race with "The Blur" repainted to disguise it and pilot it in the race. Waldo also turns up in the race with Darla as his co-pilot in his over-stated store-bought race-car. However, once the race starts, Butch and Woim use every dirty tactic to knock the other racers out of the race until it is just them, Spanky and Alfalfa, and Waldo and Darla struggling against each other to take the lead among them. Along the way, Darla quickly learns Waldo is not the gentleman he seems to be, doing such things as using tire spikes against Alfalfa and Spanky's go-cart, causing them to nearly crash. When she calls Waldo out on his dangerous cheat, he blows her off. Seeing the pompous jerk Waldo truly is, Darla furiously demands him to pull over. Meanwhile, Alfalfa tries to save the handkerchief Darla gave him. While he's saving it, everyone crosses the finish line at once with Alfalfa's cowlick winning the day for the gang. When Spanky turns to thank Waldo for knocking Butch out of the race, he's shocked to discover that it' really Darla, nearly unrecognizable in her helmet and racing uniform, having previously kicked Waldo out of his own car. At the trophy presentation, Spanky is especially shocked when he finally meets his favorite go-kart driver, A.J. Ferguson, now a grown-up woman. With their clubhouse re-built, the boys break their one main rule and allow Darla and her friends into their club. Quotes: * "Alfalfa, that's a part of you I've never seen before!" - Darla * "Actually, I've always had a rather extensive vocabulary, not to mention a phenomenal grasp of grammar and a superlative command of syntax. I simply chose not to employ them." - Uh-Huh * "And then the clouds opened up and God said, "I hate you, Alfalfa!" - Alfalfa * "We are he-man woman-haters. We feed girls to alligators. Our clubhouse burned down mighty low, but we've got a plan to make some dough!" - The He-Man Women-Haters Club * "Quick, what's the number for 911?" - Buckwheat * "Don't worry, Alfalfa. I used to have the same problem." - Porky * Waldo: "We just moved into town. My father bought the oil refinery." Darla: "That explains why you're so refined!" Alfalfa: "Yeah, and so oily!" * "Wood doesn't grow on trees!" - Stymie * "I'm usually a lover, not a fighter, but in your case, I'm willing to make an exception!" - Alfalfa * "Don't talk to me, you Benedict Arnold! You, you Judas Priest!" - Alfalfa * Darla: "This tastes like somebody poured it through an old boot!" Froggy: "Actually, it's a sneaker!" * "Girls have no sense of direction." - Waldo * "Waldo, you're the best son money can buy." - Waldo's father * Mr. Welling: "If you were my kids, I'd punish you!" Stymie: "If you were our dad, we'd punish ourselves!" Notes/Trivia: * Actor George Wendt who plays the lumberyard manager is best known as Norm Peterson on "Cheers," which George McFarland appeared on before his untimely death. * The movie borrows heavily from several events and incidents from the series. This list of shorts includes: **Three Smart Guys - Porky and Buckwheat unknowingly reeling each other in while fishing **Anniversary Trouble - the gang and the "hi/high-sign" **Hearts Are Thumps - the gang spiking Alfalfa and Darla's lunch **Hook And Ladder - the gang as firefighters **Two Too Young - Froggy and Stymie imitating adults by sitting on each other's shoulders to appear taller **Mail And Female, Porky and Buckwheat as messengers for Alfalfa's love letter **Rushin' Ballet - Alfalfa and Spanky in girls' clothes at a ballet recital **Hearts Are Thumps - Alfalfa's "bubble song" at the talent show) **Hi'-Neighbor! - building the go-kart **Auto Antics - the go-kart race, and from the animated series **Cap'n Spanky's Showboat - the "hole in the bucket" gag * In the movie, Spanky and Alfalfa reveal they have been friends since they were one year old. * In the movie, Pete belongs to Spanky; his previous owners have included Stymie Beard, Joe Cobb and Wheezer Hutchins among others. * Waldo's full name is Waldo Aloysius Johnston III. Furthermore, his personality is more like the spoiled rich kid, Percy played by Jerry Tucker in Hi'-Neighbor! and Sprucin' Up. * Continuity Error - When Alfalfa runs from the ballet school in his underwear to escape Butch and the Woim, Waldo and Darla somehow have arrived before him and had time to relax, change and get drinks to relax in the pool. This suggests Alfalfa's run from the bullies actually takes much longer than what is seen on screen. * Continuity Error - In the talent show, the moon behind Alfalfa is already lowering to lift him up before Spanky even reaches it. * Penelope Spheeris began each day by hugging each of her young child actors to ensure trust and closeness in the group. * Behind the scenes, Bug Hall (Alfalfa) became friends with Travis Tedford (Spanky) and Blake Jeremy Collins (Woim). * During production, Spheeris did the middle scenes first and the opening scenes later so the kids would already be close friends when the film began. * Spheeris recalls that the kids had no problems recalling their lines, but they still recalled the original script when the lines were changed through filming. * Several of the kids lost their baby teeth during filming. * Most of the uncredited child actors in the movie have been identified to some degree except for Sean Wargo and Andy Reassynder from the remaining nine boys in the clubhouse scenes. * Bug Hall would later have a cameo in The Little Rascals Save The Day. * See Also: Deleted Scenes ---- Category:Feature Film Category:Our Gang Projects Category:1994